Tuesday, May 21, 2013

I spent a lot of time early in my career trying to get straight the matter of Where They Went. By the early 1800s, Some houses did boast lavatories, but even in many great homes, chamber pots and furniture like this prevailed.

This one is particularly elegant, and shows well against its dramatic (and historically correct, yes) wallpaper. Our guide very kindly opened it for us.

The bedroom where it's located holds many other beautiful objects, including a pristine shaving stand, a cradle, and the elegant Knapp Bedstead.

The bed hangings are still in the collection, but too fragile for display I was just as happy without them, because one can clearly see the structure of the bed. The room's darkness helps us understand why the wall paper used such bold, vivid designs.

For some reason, 18th and 19th century toilets fascinate me. I found an image of one that was designed like a library chair, showing that reading on the toilet is probably not new. And maybe more disturbing that the primitive state of these commodes if the idea that private functions weren't always so private!

My recent foray to the monthly antique flea market turned up a hidden commode. It looked like a set of portable library steps, but the second step pulled out and up to reveal a chamber pot! My best friend was obsessed all day. I’m still surprised she didn’t go back and buy it.

I am writing my dissertation on hygiene and sanitation in eighteenth- and nineteenth-century New England (from an archaeological perspective) so I too find it an absorbing topic. I have been looking as well at how women managed away from home- not an easy thing!

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A Polite Explanation

There’s a big difference in how we use history. But we’re equally nuts about it. To us, the everyday details of life in the past are things to talk about, ponder, make fun of -- much in the way normal people talk about their favorite reality show.

We talk about who’s wearing what and who’s sleeping with whom. We try to sort out rumor or myth from fact. We thought there must be at least three other people out there who think history’s fascinating and fun, too. This blog is for them.